Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 517

The Unmado Riverboat had left Dongting Lake and joined the main stream of the mighty Yangtze river.

Following the flow of the Yangtze River, it would eventually lead to Poyang Lake.

After joining the Yangtze river, the Unmado Riverboat started moving at a very fast pace.

Pyo Wol and his party sat on the deck, gazing at the passing scenery.

Everything they saw was beautiful.

Though the Kangho was in a state of turmoil, swept by incessant winds of conflict, the world still held its beauty.

Pyo Wol absorbed every bit of the scenery into his eyes.

That’s when Hong Ye-seol approached Pyo Wol.

She sat down next to him, looking at the view he was engrossed in.

At first, she seemed to enjoy it, but soon enough, her expression revealed boredom.

She whispered to Pyo Wol,

“Shall we go inside the cabin?”

“…….”

“Wouldn’t it be better to spend our time in a more entertaining way rather than idling here?”
Hong Ye-seol gave him a wink.

Pyo Wol knew what her wink implied.

Just as he was about to respond, they were interrupted.

It was Sal-no.

His arrival wrinkled Hong Ye-seol’s face.

“What is it?”

“I have something to say to GrandMaster Pyo Wol.”

“Why now of all times?”

“I wouldn’t want to interfere with Madam Ye-Seol’s time either. But if I don’t speak now, we’ll bypass a place of interest. Hehe!”

Sal-no smirked shrewdly.

Hong Ye-seol’s expression hardened, but he disregarded her and turned to Pyo Wol.

Pyo Wol asked, “There’s an assassination guild nearby, isn’t there?”

“There’s an assassination guild called the ‘White Moon Guild.’ There are only twelve assassins in it, but each one of them is a formidable expert.”

“How do they compare to the Ten Blood Assassins?”

“Ai! They’re not comparable. But each one of them is a dangerous lone wolf that cannot be ignored.”

“Lone Wolf?”

“Yes! We’ve been trying to recruit them into the Hundred Wraith Union for a long time, but they refused, not wanting to be under anyone’s thumb. They even tried to kill the person we sent to recruit them.

The ones who dared to confront the Hundred Wraith Union, knowing what it meant, were the members of the White Moon Guild.

Sal-no had encountered many assassins in his time, but the recklessness displayed by the White Moon Guild was unparalleled.

“So, the White Moon Guild’s base is near here?”

“That’s correct. If you follow the Yangtze River a little further down, there’s a place where the width of the river expands significantly. There’s an abandoned island there.”

“An island?”

“Yes! It’s made up of rocks and pebbles, rendering it seemingly useless. At least, that’s how it appears from the outside. Moreover, the whirlpools surrounding the island deter any passing ships from approaching.”

“That’s the base of the White Moon Guild?”

“Precisely.”

“How far is the island?”

“We’re about half an hour away.”

“Let’s pay them a visit.”

Pyo Wol headed straight towards the railing.

“I’m coming with you.”

“You too?”

“I’ll just be sightseeing. I promise.”

“Very well.”

“Hehe!”

Hong Ye-seol chuckled mischievously.

Seeing this, Sal-no commented,

“It’s a good time.”

“For what? I’m just going sightseeing.”

“I was simply saying it’s a good time.”

“Damn you, old man!”

“I must be getting old, I keep hearing ringing in my ears. Or maybe it’s just a mosquito buzzing around?”

Sal-no pretended to clear his ears with his finger.

At this, Hong Ye-seol’s face turned beet red. But she knew any further bickering would only harm herself, so she merely pursed her lips.

Perhaps finding Hong Ye-seol’s expression adorable, Sal-no smiled.

“Well, safe travels, then. If you can get it done in half an hour, you should be able to get back on the boat before it passes”.

“I’ll give it a shot.”

With a nonchalant remark, Pyo Wol launched himself towards the Yangtze River.

“I’m coming too.”

Hong Ye-seol followed him.

The two of them entered the water without a sound.

The sight of the two of them vanishing underwater without a single splash left Sal-no in admiration.

Naturally, as assassins, they had mastered the art of aquatic movement.

Those proficient in aquatic movement could swim faster than the rapid boats travelling on the Yangtze River.

Hong Ye-seol was one of them. However, Pyo Wol’s aquatic skill surpassed hers.

After diving in, he disappeared without once resurfacing. Hong Ye-seol, who was following him, occasionally surfaced.

Sal-no sat down on the deck and mumbled.

“Guess I’ll rest easy for half an hour, then?”

＊＊＊

The assassins of the White Moon Guild wore uniquely white clothes.

Most assassins striked under the cover of night.

Camouflaged in darkness, black was the essential outfit for assassins. But the White Moon Guild wore white, as if to rebel against the common sense of the world.

They also had a habit of operating in broad daylight, instead of night or dawn.

They preferred to disguise their kills as accidents or natural deaths rather than leave visible wounds.

As a result, revenge was often impossible for the families of those killed by the White Moon Guild’s assassins.

Believing their loved ones had died from accidents or illnesses, they never even investigated the cause of death. For such reasons, the existence of the White Moon Guild remained largely unknown for a long time.

Recently, some people have become aware of them, but still, much about them remains unknown.

In particular, almost no one knew that their base of operations was an island.

Despite several boats passing by the island daily, nobody suspected that the assassins of the White Moon Guild resided within it.

“Hmm!”

Lee Si Chang, the leader of the White Moon Guild, stood with his arms crossed, looking at the boats passing by on the Yangtze River.

From his vantage point, he had a panoramic view of the river, but the people on the boats could never see him.

Behind Lee Shi Chang, a fairly large expanse of flat land stretched out.

At first glance, it appeared to be filled with nothing but gravel and rocks, but in reality, it provided a decent living environment for people.

Several huts were scattered across the plain.

It was where the assassins of the White Moon Guild usually stayed.

Currently, seven assassins resided on the island, the remaining five were out on assignments.

One peculiar aspect of the White Moon Guild was the almost non-existent support staff.

Most assassination organisations maintain a number of support staff to assist the assassins, when they are out on missions.

Individuals dedicated to gathering intelligence, preparing hideouts, securing escape routes, etc.
However, the assassins of the White Moon Guild prepared all these aspects themselves and carried out the assignments.

This had the advantage of leaving minimal traces behind, although it did increase the time it took to complete an assignment.

Lee Shi Chang thought about the assassins who were out on the mission.

A few days ago, the White Moon Guild received a commission from the Golden Heavenly Hall.

The assignment was to assassinate a key figure in the Silver Lotus Hall.

Naturally, the commission fee was quite substantial.

If they completed this mission successfully, they would have enough money to run the White Moon Guild for at least two years without accepting any other commissions.

Hence, they accepted the Golden Heavenly Hall’s assignment, despite knowing it was a daunting task.

“I hope they return safely after completing the mission.”

It wasn’t common knowledge, but the White Moon Guild was actually composed entirely of blood relatives.

Among the assassins who had gone on the mission were his son and nephew. The remaining assassins were either brothers or cousins.

That’s why they could trust and rely on each other completely.

“But since Shi Moon is with them, they will return safely.”

Lee Shi Moon was his cousin.

Excluding Lee Shi Chang, he was the strongest assassin in the White Moon Guild.

He excelled not only in assassination, but also in intelligence, allowing him to handle any crisis appropriately.

Lee Si Chang shook off his needless worries.

There was no point in worrying about the assassins out there. His current task was to look after the remaining members.

The political landscape of Kangho was changing every day.

Countless people were dying daily, and the public sentiment was at rock bottom.

This grim era presented the perfect opportunity for assassin guilds like the White Moon Guild to make money.

They needed to carry out as many assassinations as possible to gather funds.

They could not predict when the prosperous times would end, when again they would have to tighten their belts. So, they needed to earn as much as possible while they could.

Regardless of how many people fell into despair due to their assassinations, or how chaotic the world became, it didn’t matter to them.

Had they worried about such things, they would have never chosen the path of an assassin in the first place.

The most important thing for an assassin was to complete as many commissions as possible to earn money.

“We must accept the Silver Lotus Hall’s commission this time.”

They were already executing the Golden Heavenly Hall’s commission, and now they were going to accept the commission of their enemy, the Silver Lotus Hall? If someone knew about this, they would have scorned their lack of integrity. But an assassin guild had no reason to care about such worldly judgement.

“We can’t fall behind the other assassin guilds.”

Taking advantage of the martial chaos, numerous assassin guilds had gathered around Poyang lake.

They couldn’t afford to fall behind their competitors.

Lee Shi Chang made this resolve as he was walking.

Suddenly, he squinted his eyes.

He saw something strange.

A woman was sitting on a fairly large rock, waving at him.

Her appearance was so natural that he initially thought she was an assassin of the White Moon Guild. However, there were no female assassins in the White Moon Guild. Moreover, no one but the assassins of the White Moon Guild should be on this island.

Therefore, the woman waving at him was neither an assassin of the White Moon Guild nor a resident of the island.

A killing intent emerged in Lee Shi Chang’s eyes.

“Who are you, bitch?”

“Oh my, such harsh words. Calling me ‘bitch’ upon our first meeting?”

Lee Shi Chang’s expression hardened at the woman’s nonchalant response.

No ordinary person would dare to enter the base of White Moon Guild so casually and speak so confidently.

Even more striking was the fact that until she revealed herself, Lee Shi Chang hadn’t detected her presence at all.

While Lee Shi Chang wasn’t a known master in the Kangho, he prided himself on his assassination skills and keen senses.

With his senses, he should have been able to detect even the slightest movement on this small island. Yet he had completely missed the woman who had infiltrated the island.

That meant the woman was skilled enough to evade his senses.

There weren’t many people in Kangho who hadhas that level of stealth.

“Identify yourself. Who are you, woman?”

Swish!

Lee Shi Chang drew the sword from his waist.

The woman made a slightly annoyed face and got up from the rock.

“Oh! You really have no flexibility. Drawing your sword just like that. I knew that the White Moon Guild was closed-off, but this is too much.”

“I asked who you are. I won’t ask again.”

A terrifying killing intent radiated from Lee Shi Chang’s entire body.

Despite the horrifying killing intent that could make an ordinary person wet their pants, the woman didn’t blink an eye. The atmosphere around Lee Shi Chang became increasingly intense.

Understanding that it was no longer a situation for jesting, the woman introduced herself.

“My name is Hong Ye-seol.”

“Hong Ye-seol?”

It was certainly a name he was hearing for the first time. Yet, it felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Hong Ye-seol’s red lips curled into a smile.

“You asked me to reveal my identity, and when I do, you don’t recognise it? Then how about this? Hundred Wraith Union”.

“Hundred… Wraith Union? Could it be, one of the Ten Blood Assassins?”

“Well, until recently, yes. That was until I forced the previous union master into retirement.”

“Don’t tell me you are the union master of the Hundred Wraith Union? Do you expect me to believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. But I have no reason to lie.”

“Hmm!”

Lee Shi Chang let out a grunt.

He instinctively felt that Hong Ye-seol was telling the truth.

If she really was the Union Master of the Hundred Wraith Union, it made sense that she could deceive his senses and infiltrate the island.

“Why has the Union Master of the Hundred Wraith Union come here? Don’t tell me you came to make the ridiculous request to have the White Moon Guild surrender to the Hundred Wraith Union again?”

“I have no desire to expand the Hundred Wraith Union anymore.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Just because I wanted to see it.”

“See what?”

“I wanted to see with my own eyes the White Moon Guild bow down.”

“If you continue to spout nonsense, I will cut you down. Even if you are the Union Master of the Hundred Wraith Union, it doesn’t mean a sword won’t pierce you.”

“Of course. I am human too. I don’t like being cut by a sword. It hurts.”

“But?”

“Because there is someone else who can bring you to your knees. Ah, there he is.”

Hong Ye-seol smiled and looked towards the inner part of the island.

From there, Pyo Wol was walking towards them.

The moment he saw Pyo Wol, Lee Shi Chang’s face turned rigid.

‘That bastard!’

A faint scent of blood was wafting from him.

Lee Shi-chang was not foolish enough to not understand what that meant.